Quad-core Windows 8 tablets could be ticket to the top

Keeping up with the big boys

Windows 8 tablets may get a welcome speed boost later this year as Intel points towards a quad-core Atom chip ripe for slate integration.

Intel is working on a new processor currently known as "Bay Trail" which it believes will offer all day battery life and weeks of standby - a bold claim and one we hope comes to fruition.

Weng Kuan, VP of the Mobile Communications Group at Intel said that Bay Trail is "the most powerful Atom processor to-date, doubling the computing performance of Intel's current-generation tablet offering."

Double the power

The four cores which Intel is packing into the new chip will also see Bay Trail come closer to mainstream processors in terms of performance, allowing tablets to harness almost PC-levels of power.

It's fair to say that Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets have felt a little lacklustre so far, with the likes of the iPad and reams of Android tablets continuing to steal the show for now.

No doubt manufacturers will look to launch a new wave of Windows 8 tablets later this year, and with the new chip from Intel arriving towards Christmas it could well encourage more to get on board with Microsoft's platform - and possibly see it mount a greater threat to the iOS and Android masses.